10 Reasons WrestleMania 32 Was A Huge Disappointment
The magic of the event didn't save us this year.
I know that those of us within the wrestling community tend to be a tad pessimistic, trending toward the outright negative whenever possible.
It’s not that we’re all bitter, unhappy curmudgeons, it’s just that we’ve come to expect a lot from the entertainment medium we’ve chosen to dedicate so much time to and when we don’t get a product that is up to par we feel let down.
Not to get all Agent Mulder, but we want to believe. As proof of that, this article was originally meant to highlight the ways in which WrestleMania 32 actually exceeded expectations. After all, a large percentage of the fanbase went into the last two big events feeling the same apathy that this year’s build caused and we were blown away by the results, especially last year.
But I just can’t write that article this year. My conscience won’t allow it.
While there were reportedly over 100,000 fans on hand to take in the spectacle live – although the number being reported from sources outside the company PR machine are saying closer to 87,000 - WrestleMania 32 was not awesome, it did not exceed expectations and in many ways it was even less enjoyable than the most miserable doomsayers among the audience proclaimed it would be.
I don’t enjoy acknowledging that fact but it’s something that, as the hours progressed and the show continued to drone on and on, became even more depressingly apparent.
Where did it all go wrong? Let’s take a look at that right now...
10. The Show Was Too Long
When even your most diehard wrestling fans are continuously glancing at the clock to see how much time is remaining in the show, you know there's a problem. Between the pre-show and the main broadcast, WrestleMania 32 was over 5 hours long.
It goes without saying that it could have easily been trimmed down into a much less bloated package.
I understand wanting to get as many members of the roster on the show as possible, and while I admire the sentiment behind that, all it does is dilute the potential of these so-called coveted “WrestleMania moments” that the company is fond of espousing.
Shows that long wear on both the live audience as well as those watching it at home, and your biggest event of the year should not leave your fans feeling fatigued, yet 32 was an exhausting endeavour.
Not only that, but with so much time to fill there’s no explanation for rushing through certain moments.
While she might not be the most popular wrestling character on the show, Brie Bella deserves the respect of the fans and her peers in what was ostensibly her final match, yet her celebration was immediately cut short so WWE could move to a shot of the panel discussing what an amazing show we were witnessing.
When you cram so much filler into a show like this, you dull the impact of the things that are meant to be important. Here’s to hoping they trim the fat a bit next year.